2016 – Page 669 – Hays Post Archive

Hays High’s Nicole Dinkel signs with Cloud County Community College

Posted on April 26, 2016

Dustin Armbruster

Sometimes it takes one day to help find your path. For Hays High senior Nicole Dinkel, it was one really good day in 2015. Dinkel participated in a softball showcase and had a day where she did everything well and seemed to hit every pitch sent her way. That was enough to catch the attention of the coaches at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.

Tuesday, just a few hours before taking the diamond versus Colby, Dinkel signed her national letter of intent to play for the Thunderbirds. Another deciding factor for choosing Cloud County was the school’s strong biology programs which Dinkel plans on entering.

Nicole Dinkel

First year head coach Erin Wagner said that while not a vocal leader Dinkel does lead with her work ethic, always taking extra reps and showing up to the voluntary workouts and practices.

Coach Erin Wagner

Dinkel is a career .342 hitter with 49 hits, but is having one over her best seasons to date batting 13-30 for a .433 average. She is one of only three hitters on the team to record a home run this season and has tallied four in her career. Dinkel also leads the team in steals (12), walks (6), hit-by-pitch (3), tied for the team lead in runs (11) and has struck out second fewest times this year (2).

CEP: What’s next for Obama’s key climate initiative

Posted on April 26, 2016

The United States Supreme Court has been in the news a lot in the last few months. The death of Justice Anthony Scalia injected political controversy into an already contentious presidential election, and raised the stakes for several high profile cases. One of those cases involves an attempt to prevent the implementation of new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations of carbon dioxide. In this post I’ll get you caught up on the progression of the case and tell you what’s next for the Obama key climate initiative.

Following the announcement of the President Obama’s Clean Power Plan in August, 15 states including Kansas submitted an Emergency Petition at the D.C. Circuit Court to ‘stay’ the new regulations. A ‘stay’ is just a fancy way of saying that someone wants an action postponed until a pending matter is taken care of (here is a legal dictionary definition if you are interested). In this case, these states were asking the Court to delay the immediate implementation of the Clean Power Plan until the Court decided a lawsuit on whether or not the new rules were constitutional. The D.C. Circuit denied the request for a stay but granted a request for an expedited hearing on the case (labelled West Virginia et al. vs U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et al).

In January, 29 states including Kansas then asked the Supreme Court to issue a stay on the Clean Power Plan. On February 9th, the Court granted the request for a stay on a 5-4 decision. This means that no state is required to begin abiding by the emissions reduction targets in the Clean Power Plan until the judicial system finishes deciding the case.

Currently the case is waiting to be decided at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. This court is a federal court of appeals and is one level of jurisdiction below the Supreme Court. For a great detailed description of how the federal court system works, check out this article from the Federal Judicial Center. The D.C.Circuit Court will hear oral arguments on the case on June 2nd and a final decision will be issued later this summer or early in the fall. Unfortunately the case will likely not end there.

Regardless of who wins at the D.C. Circuit, legal experts say the other side is likely to appeal the case for immediate review at the Supreme Court. However, the outcome of this round of court battles could implicate the final outcome of the case should it reach the Supreme Court because of Justice Scalia’s recent death. This is where things get tricky.

While the D.C. Circuit Court is made up of eleven active judges, they hear oral arguments for cases in three judge panels. The three judges who will decide the EPA suit are Karen Henderson, Judith Rogers, and Sri Srinivasan. As followers of the D.C. Circuit have noted, this is a favorable panel for the EPA given their ideological leaning and past rulings on environmental cases. Analysts familiar with the case say the District Court will likely uphold the Clean Power Plan, setting the stage for a battle at the Supreme Court.

This is good news for the environment because of an interesting judicial procedure triggered by the death of Justice Scalia. If the case goes to the Supreme Court and is heard by the current panel of eight justices rather than the full panel of nine, a 4-4 tie vote is in play.

Scalia was one of the five conservative leaning Justices who supported the stay. With his absence, it is likely that four Justices will support the regulations and the other four will oppose them (based on the votes cast for the stay motion and the ideological leanings of the Justices).

When the Supreme Court ties on a decision, the ruling of the lower court (in this case, the D.C. Circuit Court) is upheld. This means that if the appellate court upholds the Clean Power Plan and the Supreme Court vote is a 4-4 tie, the regulations would go into effect.

The Clean Power Plan was the cornerstone of the U.S. commitment to reduce carbon pollution at the Paris Climate Conference, and ensuring its continued implementation is essential to international efforts to mitigate climate change. While it is important to ensure that new regulations are given thorough consideration by our judicial system, it is also imperative that action is taken now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

States should be proactive and begin developing plans to transition to clean fuel sources.

Kansas shouldn’t wait until the lengthy judicial process has concluded to prepare its own plan to contribute to climate solutions.

At CEP, we have already put together some ideas for how Kansas can meet the Clean Power Plan targets in an affordable and cost-effective way. I would caution against recent efforts in Topeka to discourage such action, and am hopeful that Kansas can be a model for the rest of the country in leading the way towards a clean energy economy.

Chris Carey is an intern with Climate and Energy Project. The non-profit organization is headquartered in Hutchinson.

OSHA: Multiple violations led to Kansas man’s workplace death

Posted on April 26, 2016

ROSE HILL, Kan. (AP) — A federal safety agency has cited the employer of a southeast Kansas man killed in a workplace accident with multiple violations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking $59,000 in fines from Viking Blast & Wash Systems. The industrial cleaning equipment manufacturer is located in Rose Hill. The company didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

OSHA said in a news release that safety guards may have prevented a metal bar from striking and killing a lathe operator in January. Rose Hill police previously identified the man as 24-year-old Robert Haigler of Udall.

OSHA regional director Judy Freeman says the man’s life “might have been saved if the lathe had been equipped with required safety mechanisms.”

Extras From the Extension: Linda Beech – High Speed Hand Washing

Posted on April 26, 2016

Linda Beech shows us what “High Speed Hand Washing” is all about and the time and water saved.

Mitsubishi Motors admits it lied about fuel mileage tests since ’91

Posted on April 26, 2016

TOKYO (AP) — Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the Japanese automaker that acknowledged last week that it had intentionally lied about its models’ mileage, said an internal investigation found such tampering dated back to 1991.

President Tetsuro Aikawa told reporters Tuesday the probe was still ongoing, suggesting that more irregularities might be found.

He said so much was unknown that it’s uncertain what action the company will take. He said he didn’t know why employees resorted to such tactics to make mileage look better.

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Motors had repeatedly promised to come clean after a massive scandal 15 years ago involving a systematic cover-up of auto defects.

The inaccurate mileage tests involved 157,000 of its eK wagon and eK Space light passenger cars, and 468,000 Dayz and Dayz Roox vehicles produced for Nissan Motor Co.

Paraguayan national’s trial begins in alleged FHSU rape

Posted on April 26, 2016

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

After a morning of juror selection starting with 90 potential jurors, 12 jurors and two alternates began hearing testimony from Fort Hays State University Police Officer Joshua Fleenor in the trial of Fernando Insaurralde Cantero, 20, Paraguay.

Cantero pleaded not guilty in December to suspicion of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary stemming from an incident that police said occurred on the FHSU campus in September of last year.

Fleenor testified as a state’s witness during the day’s proceedings before Judge Glenn Braun ended testimony for the day prior to a defense cross-examination.

Fleenor was questioned by Crystalyn Oswald, Assistant Ellis County Attorney.

During testimony, Fleenor testified about the investigation that began after the victim reported the alleged assault to Title IX officials, residential life officials and law enforcement at FHSU.

Fleenor testified he was first notified of the alleged rape by Rebecca Peterson, director of residential life, on Sept. 22, two days after the incident had allegedly occurred. The delay was a result of the alleged victim initially not wishing to report the incident to police, he testified.

Interviews were conducted on Sept. 25.

During the interview, Fleenor testified the victim said she was alone in her dorm room after a night of heavy drinking at house parties off campus.

Meanwhile, the victim said Cantero and a fellow classmate were opening doors throughout the women’s areas of the dorms, looking to see if anyone wanted to “hang out.”

Sometime after 3 a.m., Cantero reportedly found the victim in her dorm room, entered and took a drink from a water bottle containing vodka in the room. The victim then began kissing Cantero and, at that point, his companion left after Cantero closed the door, Fleenor testified.

Both Cantero and the victim told investigators, according to Fleenor, that they did not know each other and that no conversation took place.

But that is where the stories begin to differ.

The victim told investigators she woke up with Cantero on top of her, scared, but knew not to fight back. After the incident, she began texting others to find out what had happened – and who it was that had been in her room.

Fleenor said Cantero told investigators that she motioned for him to come inside and, after kissing the victim, proceeded to have consensual sex.

But, initial conversations between Cantero and law enforcement were difficult, Fleenor said, as Cantero was unable to communicate with officers in English.

“It was clear from the beginning there was a language barrier,” Fleenor said.

During court proceedings, Cantero has used the services of a translator.

After securing a translator for the police investigation, Fleenor said Cantero told them he was looking for his dorm room keys while searching the dorm hallways when he came upon the alleged victim.

During Fleenor’s testimony, jurors also saw surveillance video from the dorm that corresponds with the time and locations that were testified to by Fleenor.

Testimony is set to continue at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

HPD Activity Log April 25

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and 8 traffic stops Monday, April 25, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Criminal Damage to Property–300 block W 6th St, Hays; 12:15 AM; 12:20 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–200 block E 32nd St, Hays; 7:03 AM ; 8:06 AM
Dangerous Animal–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 9:50 AM
Stalking–1300 block E 8th St, Hays; 10:29 AM
Tethering Violation–500 block E 11th St, Hays; 11:42 AM
Drug Offenses–500 block E 20th St, Hays; 12:26 PM
Found/Lost Property–Hays; 4:43 PM
Driving Under the Influence–1902 Vine St, Hays; 5:14 PM
Suspicious Activity–1700 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 5:55 PM
Suspicious Person–400 block W 14th St, Hays; 8:15 PM
Disturbance – Noise–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 10:34 PM
Drug Offenses–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 11:30 PM; 11:35 PM

Lyon announces candidacy for office of Trego County Attorney

Posted on April 26, 2016

Submitted

WAKEENEY — Christopher Lyon, an assistant in the Ellis County Attorney’s Office since 2014, has announced his candidacy for the office of Trego County Attorney.

Lyon received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Dallas in Texas. In 2006, Lyon left the private sector to serve in the United States Army, where he was stationed at Fort Riley, for nearly three years. Lyon served two tours of duty in Iraq, the first in Baghdad (2008-09) with the First Infantry Division, and the second in Mosul (2010-11), with the First Cavalry Division. In Iraq, Lyon helped keep his fellow soldiers safe as the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of company intelligence, which included patrolling and gathering information to generate threat assessments, counter-insurgency and risk briefings.

Lyon received numerous medals and accolades including two Army Commendation Medals and five Army Achievement Medals. Lyon decided to pursue public service through the law and took his law school admission test in Baghdad, Iraq. Lyon left the Army in 2011 to study law at Washburn University in Topeka.

While at Washburn, Lyon worked in the Washburn Law Clinic, which provides legal assistance to underprivileged citizens, and also for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, where he assisted the Chief Deputy District Attorney on several high-profile murder cases. Lyon finished law school in two years and was hired as an Assistant Ellis County Attorney in November of 2013, starting in March of 2014. Lyon has seen firsthand the devastation that crime brings to rural and western Kansas. Lyon believes families deserve a safe community and their children deserve a safe environment to learn and grow up in.

After spending the last two years as a full-time prosecutor, Lyon said he understands the importance of the job.

“This position involves a lot of trust from the citizens of the county. As a County Attorney you have to deal with defendants and victims and always be fair. A person may be a defendant one day and a victim the next,” he said.

“The County Attorney’s job requires leadership and organization. As a veteran,” Lyon added. “I have led large and small offices and managed multiple tasks at once. I know how a County Attorney’s office works. My knowledge and leadership experience mean I will be able to lead the office effectively from Day One.” Using conservative principles to manage the office and budget, Lyon will prosecute with maximum effectiveness.

Lyon said many veterans need help when they return from combat to civilian life. Many times these veterans turn to drugs and alcohol to try to deal with the trauma they’ve experienced. Lyon said he will make sure veterans who get into these difficult situations get the specialized help they are entitled to.

Lyon and his wife, Emily, are members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays, and have two children, Peter, two, and Helen, one. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club, the VFW, and the Knights of Columbus.

Tony Potter currently serves as Trego County Attorney.

SCHLAGECK: Goodbye, Lorna Doone

Posted on April 26, 2016

John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.

“Goodbye, sweet girl – it’s time to go,” I said looking into those eyes that showed love, devotion and friendship. My eyes and those of son, Ben, overflowed with tears.

We were taking our beloved sheltie, Lorna Doone, to the vet. This was her last ride.

Weak and failing, she couldn’t jump into the SUV anymore. Gone were the days when that graceful blur of brown, black and white fur bounded into the back seat with ease. On this day, I gently placed her in the seat next to my son.

Lorna Doone loved to ride in cars. She’d bark and bark when we asked, “Do you want to go for a ride?”

Once in the car I’d quickly roll down the window so she could stick her head out and take in the fast flowing air.

My family enjoyed 17 wonderful years with Dooney. She retrieved tennis balls, Frisbees, hedge apples – about anything round she could fit into her mouth. Our sweet girl never knew when to stop fetching and only when we ceased throwing would this wonderful game end.

When the small walnuts dropped from our giant walnut trees, Lorna heard them hit the ground, smelled them out and brought these little marble-sized nuts to us. She expected us to play fetch with them.

She loved to chase squirrels in our yard and kept these little rodents running for their lives. As they scolded her from high above in the trees, she barked her disapproval of them trespassing in her domain.

Lorna smiled all the time. We referred to her as the happiest dog in the world. When she wagged her tail her whole rear end moved.

Our sheltie served as a constant companion throughout my son’s childhood. Having arrived in our household a full year before Ben, she always tried to dominate her younger sibling even when he grew to be a teenager and towered above her.

Dooney bossed Ben and growled at him whenever she believed he interfered with her playful activities.

She assumed the role of scout that trotted out front when the boys explored the woods surrounding our house. Like a horse, she pulled the small wagon filled with Ben’s toys.

Lorna also barked incessantly when it was time for her to eat. With a built-in clock that rivaled any Rolex, she knew to the minute when it was time to eat. She also stood next to the utility room where her feast awaited.

Guard dog?

Without a doubt. Nothing wandered into our yard and evaded the notice of Miss Doone. She patrolled day and night with razor-sharp eyes. Even when she slept, her super-sonic ears missed nothing. They pointed straight up as did her tail that curled to the right. Her look said, “Enter at your own risk.”

How do these four-legged fur balls burrow so deep in our hearts?
It hurts when they go. But when you ask yourself, “Would I give up having known them to make the pain go away?”

The answer remains, of course, “no.”

A dog like, Lorna Doone, only comes around once in a lifetime. That said, Miss Bea, our new sheltie appears to be a worthy companion. Just like her predecessor, she tears up the leaves and yard ensuring her territory remains off limits to squirrels and other rodents.

Bea also announces the arrival of friends, family, UPS delivery and anything else who ventures near her home. While she’s a bit stand-offish at times, she’s still a happy girl and we’re happy to have her in our lives.

As for Lorna Doone, her memory lingers in our minds. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see her again, listen to the thump, thump, thump of her tail and look into that smiling, happy face.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

HAWVER: Kansas budget work will be ugly … or not

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

Legislators return to the Statehouse this week to consider whether they want to do some really politically ugly stuff to balance the state budget this year…or not.

It’s that simple.

The latest financial report shows that the state is going to have to come up with about $140 million—either new revenues (virtually impossible) or spending cuts, more likely—to get out of this fiscal year with a constitutionally required positive ending balance in the treasury. Doesn’t have to be much, just a few bucks give the state a constitutional balanced budget.

Now, there is talk about the two-year budget cycle, and that the state will need $151 million in higher revenues or budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year which starts July 1, but, well, we understand that the Legislature will meet again next year to work on that.

So, it’s just the get-out-of-town $140 million that is the real goal of lawmakers during their wrapup session so they can get out on the campaign trail and back to life as many of us know it.

Gov. Sam Brownback has an idea…or rather three of them…that would let the Legislature do some politically unattractive and unpopular bill-passing in the wrap-up session, and while he has a favorite, he wants lawmakers to choose.

Legislators (no show of hands, er, votes, yet) will have to decide whether they want to vote on ugly revenue-saving bills or leave it up to the governor, who has authority to make spending cuts called “allotments” all by himself.

Hmmm… Let’s look at that again. The Legislature where members of the House and Senate stand for election this year can make spending cuts and money transfers, all of which will wind up on their election opponents’ campaign flyers.

Or, lawmakers can ignore the fiscal sleight of hand proposed by Brownback, who as chief executive officer of the state would have to make the spending cuts himself.

Let’s see…legislative cuts and shuffles will cost candidates votes this fall, while there isn’t a lot of political downside to pointing at the governor who is in the last three years of his last term and saying “he did it.”

The governor has made much of the duty of the Legislature to pass a balanced budget—which it believed it had with this year’s budget bill, before those new revenue estimates were made public last week.

So, now it is clearly who wants to do the icky budget-cutting because, practically, every dollar cut from this year’s budget means that some interest group is going to be mad.

That makes the real question simple: Mad at whom?

The governor already has authority to make across-the-board budget cuts, and with a little tweaking of the law—and without a dollar sign in sight—lawmakers could hand him authority to make narrowly focused cuts in spending. That essentially leaves to the governor what gets cut, which is a fairly remarkable power to hand the governor.

But then…it’s the guy whose name won’t be on the ballot this fall making politically powerful decisions, not the Legislature.

Nope, the governor isn’t really interested in seeing all that responsibility handed back to him, but then again, if you were in the Legislature, and standing for re-election this fall, do you want your DNA on anything that will make voters mad?

The governor has supporters in the Legislature, many of them Republicans he campaigned for. Most were happy for his help which helped them land seats in the Legislature, but memories tend to be short in the Statehouse.

So this week and probably part of next week may just turn out to be pivotal for some legislative races. The choices are to help the governor or to help yourself and your campaign.

Wondering which way the Legislature will go?

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

Vera M. Rohr

Posted on April 26, 2016

Vera M. Rohr, 91, Hays, died Monday, April 25, 2016 at the Hays Medical Center.

She was born July 8, 1924 in Walker, Kansas the daughter of George H. and Margaret C. (Schrant) Robben. She attended school in Walker and graduated from Victoria High School. On January 29, 1947 she married Anthony “Tony” Rohr in Victoria. He died April 22, 1984. She was a farmwife and homemaker and a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. She enjoyed sewing, gardening, canning, reading, crossword puzzles, and playing cards. She made delicious homemade bread and fried chicken for her family and was devoted in praying the rosary.

Survivors include six sons; Tony J. Rohr and wife Patty of Munjor, Kansas, Gerald L. “Gary” Rohr of Hays, Dan Rohr and wife Cindy of Sedgwick, KS, Ken Rohr of Hays, Tim J. Rohr and LaDonna of Topeka, KS, and Allen R. Rohr and wife Kim of Hays, four grandchildren; D.J. Rohr and Dreanna, Maggie Rohr, Jennifer Stufflebeam and husband Darrell, and Janelle Cavanaugh and husband Joe, four great grandchildren; Sam Stufflebeam, Sydney Stufflebeam, Taylor Cavanaugh, Eliana Rohr, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tony, three brothers; Phillip Robben, Ken Robben, and Ralph Robben, and three sisters; Dorothy Hyde, Rita Robben, and Velma Leiker.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 210 W. 13th Street, Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Wednesday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Thursday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street, Hays. A parish vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorials are suggested in Vera’s memory to St. Joseph Catholic Church or to masses, in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com.

Hays 10U Expos take second at Bickle-Schmidt tourney

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

Pictured, front row from left: Cooper Johnson, Daniel Giebler, Camden Sanders, Charlie Roe, Gunner Cox and Cooper Sanders. Back row, from left: Nolan Dreher, Cooper Johnson, Lex Lummus, Will Linenberger, Corbin Werth, Braxton Banker.

Send your summer sports photos to [email protected]!

The Hays 10U Expos finished second at this weekend’s Hays Eagles baseball tournament at Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex in Hays.

Pictured, front row from left: Cooper Johnson, Daniel Giebler, Camden Sanders, Charlie Roe, Gunner Cox and Cooper Sanders. Back row, from left: Nolan Dreher, Cooper Johnson, Lex Lummus, Will Linenberger, Corbin Werth, Braxton Banker.

Ray Allen Winters

Posted on April 26, 2016

Ray Allen Winters, age 51, of Hays passed away Friday, April 15, 2016 in Hays. He was born December 6, 1954 in Great Bend, KS to John A. and Phyllis A. (Mudd) Winters.

Ray was a Cement Mason and Concrete Finisher, a Truck Driver and had earned his realtors license. He enjoyed gardening, discussing politics, bird hunting and he was an avid dog lover. He was known to be a hard working person who lived by the motto “Learn something new every day”

He is survived by his son, Jesse Winters; grandson, Jaydee Winters; his mother, Phyllis Winters; a brother, Phil A. Winters and a step daughter, Janelle Milleson all of Salina as well as his beloved dogs, Buddy and Honey.

He was preceded in death by his father, John A. Winters and a step son, Eric Reidelberger.

A Celebration of life gathering and potluck will be 10 AM – 2 PM Saturday, April 30, 2016 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles 146 N 7th St, Salina, KS.

Arrangements in care of Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.

Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or emailed to [email protected].